Hey everybody, just bought my first jeep a couple weeks ago and i found this under the hood:
i think it's part of the aftermarket remote starter? this picture shows where the cable connects to the hood. is it just the ground wire or does it have another purpose??? I've never seen a wire run like this up to the hood on a stock vehicle which is why i assume it's the remote starter bc that's the only aftermarket thing that the vehicle has. I've started to have an electrical problem and i figure it's bc this connection is all corroded? Can i just take it off and clean it with a steel brush, let it sit in a cup of coke and then reinstall with new screws? (i've read soaking battery cables in coke for 30 min helps?) My electrical problem is this: if my jeep has been sitting for awhile and i go to start it up and the headlights/fogs are on auto and it's dark enough out for them to be on, i get a grinding sound like the starter isn't engaging the flywheel correctly. Like the headlights are drawing too much juice to allow the starter to work correctly. Do you think fixing that corrosion problem would solve the starter/flywheel problem? Thanks!
Edit: it only makes the grinding noise if all the lights are on

It looks like a mercury, or some sort of gravity switch that disables the remote start when the hood is open so it cant be accidentally be activated while a tech is under the hood. I would guess it is sealed and soaking it will only do further damage if it is faulty.

Interesting, I'll have to try starting it with the hood open to see if that's the case...maybe I'll just clean it up best I can with a steel brush and replace the screws and see if that helps...thanks for the advice bc I was about too soak it! And would have prob ruined it!

That will have absolutely nothing to do with your problems. Assuming its a mercury switch all it does is tell the remote starter to not start while the hood is up. But looking at it, good guess your grounds are in similar condition.